This series is such a great read! The characters are deep and realistic, with no glossing over the less savory parts of life. I loved Chad in the first book in the series, The Harder I Fall, and I loved him even more in The Deeper We Get.

Chad is a fantastic character! He is smart and seemingly has it all together. But he is deeply damaged after a life of traumatic events that no one should have to ever experience. And for the most part, no one really knows just how damaged he is. Our heroine, Scarlet, is just as flawed and damaged as he is and she doesn't have much more of a handle on things than Chad does. I love that his character, nor any of the characters, are created to be ideals. They are damaged. They are flawed. They have real problems and real emotions. The author doesn't shy away from the raw, the dark, the gritty.

There are some dark themes and situations in this book. Themes of physical and emotional abuse. Themes of substance abuse. There are moments of unbearable sadness and frustration. There are uncomfortable situations and moments, too. But it is an emotional and touching moment.

NOTE: If you have read the first book, which I recommend, keep in mind that this one is set a few years in the future. I kept forgetting that and kept envisioning Chad is an early high schooler at first!!

Things to love...

--The dark themes and how well they were handled.--The flawed and damaged nature of the characters.

Things I wanted more/less of...

--More of Chad's struggles with his father.

My Recommendation

A fantastic story with some very real situations! I would definitely recommend reading The Harder I Fall first to really complete the picture of Chad's past.